"L-Lord Esha? You mean this man is really…?"
The mention of Esha sent Liu Si into full panic.
Watching his fearful expression, Kailin leaned toward Mo Yan, whispering with a smirk,
"Wow, look at those clear eyes. Just a minute ago he was all talk."
Mo Yan nodded. "Yeah, acting like a big shot."
"And if he finds out Tianlang is actually the Moon Saint…" Kailin murmured.
But Liu Si had sharp ears.
"M-Moon Saint? You mean that Xuanyue?" His face twisted into a nervous grin. "Hehe… now that you mention it, I did hear that Lord Esha and the Moon Saint were friends. Wait—does that mean I just tried to scam a friend of both of them…?"
Thud!
Before he could finish, Liu Si collapsed in a heap.
"He fainted…" Kailin said flatly, looking down at the unconscious vendor.
"He brought it on himself. No need to worry," Clorinde said calmly.
Tianlang smiled and nodded. "Still, thank you for stepping in, Miss Clorinde."
Clorinde let out a soft laugh. "Not at all. I just happened to be nearby. Besides, you're officially just a regular citizen now, Tianlang. You've done nothing wrong in this."
Her fair and impartial tone earned her an admiring look from Kailin.
"Wow… as expected from Clorinde. So principled! I'm in awe!" she said, resting her cheek on her hands with stars in her eyes.
Clorinde chuckled. "I'm glad you think so."
Then Tianlang asked, "By the way, how's Yaohui? Is he alright?"
"No need to worry," Clorinde replied. "He woke up this morning. After I told him what happened, he left the station—said he wanted to thank you all in person. He should be at your inn by now."
Tianlang let out a sigh of relief. "Glad to hear it."
CLANG!
A loud noise drew everyone's attention to the street. A group of thugs in rough uniforms stood in the middle of the road. The ringleader shoved over a man carrying a shoulder pole, then ordered his underlings to beat him mercilessly.
"Don't have eyes, do ya? You dared bump into me? Beat him! Don't hold back!"
The brutal assault gathered a crowd—but no one stepped forward. The poor vendor begged for mercy as fists and kicks rained down, but the attackers showed no sign of stopping.
Kailin had seen enough.
"In broad daylight, beating someone up like that?! See how I deal with you!" She was about to draw her gun when Clorinde stopped her.
"Huh? Miss Clorinde, why are you stopping me?! Can't you see someone's going to die at this rate!" Kailin shouted, clearly shocked. The high image of Clorinde in her heart suddenly started to crumble.
But Clorinde said nothing. She looked at the group of assailants and let out a weary sigh.
"Them again…" she muttered, almost resigned, and leaned against a nearby wall.
"Don't worry. Someone will take care of it."
Just then, the sound of footsteps approached—the city guard had arrived. Leading them was a young man in his late twenties.
"STOP RIGHT THERE!"
At his command, the guards quickly surrounded the thugs and restrained them. Order was finally restored.
When the leader of the thugs saw who it was, his entire demeanor changed.
"Whoa, if it isn't our young master Zhou! It's all just a misunderstanding, really!"
The young officer scowled. "Butler Wu? You again?! I saw the whole thing—don't bother denying it. Take them to the station!"
"Yes, sir!" the guards echoed as they hauled the thugs away.
The young officer stood in place, sighing. Then he turned to the beaten merchant and bent down, concern in his eyes.
"You alright?" he asked with visible guilt.
The vendor, bruised and bloodied, lay on the ground in silence. He didn't cry, didn't speak—he simply stared at the sky.
"…I'm sorry. I feel terrible about what happened." The officer pulled a large pouch of coins from his waist. "Here, please accept this. Consider it compensation." He placed it gently beside the merchant and walked away.
Once the young officer left, the vendor slowly struggled to his feet, groaning as he did. Just then, Clorinde stepped out of the alley and approached him.
"Are you alright?" she asked.
The man looked up and forced a wry smile. "Oh, it's you, Officer Clorinde. I'm fine. I'm used to it. Not dead yet."
Clorinde sighed. "Don't worry. The ones who beat you have been arrested. Captain Zhou will see justice done."
But the merchant didn't seem reassured. He snorted bitterly.
"Hmph. Spare me. This sort of thing's happened more times than I can count. Even if you arrest them, what's the point? As long as Officer Zhou still shows mercy to his bastard brother, none of us will ever know peace!"
He glared at Clorinde. "You saw how they were hauled away just now? I guarantee they'll be back on the streets by tomorrow!"
Clorinde fell silent.
The tension between them was thick, and Tianlang—having emerged from the alley—felt compelled to ask,
"Miss Clorinde… you seem really conflicted. What's going on?"
Clorinde hesitated. "…It's just a minor public safety issue. You needn't concern yourselves."
"That didn't look minor to me!" Kailin said, hands on her hips.
"Yeah," Mo Yan added. "You were acting strange just now."
"…Sigh." Clorinde saw their determined faces and gave in with a resigned sigh. "Very well. You're my guests—and friends of Lord Esha. I suppose there's no need to hide it."
She turned toward the street where the guards had gone.
"The young officer you saw earlier is named Zhou Shun. He's been with the city guard for six years. Hardworking and honest, he's generally well-liked."
"But he has an older brother named Zhou Cheng, who took up an official post in the Black Domain three years ago. From that moment on, Zhou Cheng became one of the most hated figures in the city. This isn't the first time he's let his thugs cause chaos."
Kailin's eyes widened in disbelief. "Seriously? Then why haven't you arrested him already?"
"It's because Captain Zhou can't bring himself to see his brother punished," the injured merchant said bitterly. "Every time Zhou Cheng gets thrown in jail, his brother pulls strings to get him out. Again and again! And the more he does it, the more arrogant they become!"
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